Benedict Morgan
|birth= March 2, 2530 |death= |gender=Male |height=201 cm |hair=Black |eyes=Brown |cyber= |affiliation=* * (former) * (former) * |rank=Commander |specialty= |battles= |status=Active |class= }} Benedict Augustus Morgan is a SPARTAN-IV Commando serving as part of Fireteam Aegis. A former Marine who volunteered for the SPARTAN-IV program after spending some time as an ODST, Benedict demonstrated a capacity for leadership during his first assignments as a Spartan that attracted attention from higher up and received a field grade promotion to the rank of Lieutenant after his decisive tactical action saved the lives of civilians and UNSC personnel alike during anti-Insurrectionist operations on Tribute. He was then assigned to lead Fireteam Aegis, a unit composed of mostly SPARTAN-IIIs which operated with non-Spartan personnel more extensively than other Spartan teams. Though viewed as cold and grim by many, even ruthless, Benedict is a no-nonsense soldier who carries the weight of past losses on his shoulders while doing his best to ensure current allies do not meet the same fate. Though known to few, Benedict is the biological grandson of Admiral Preston J. Cole, having been conceived through an affair between his mother and Cole's second son Wesley, then a Naval Lieutenant Commander. He was unaware of that fact until early adulthood, and has since made no effort to contact the Cole family. His penchant for unconventional strategy, though hardly comparable to Cole's near-miraculous feats, is perhaps an echo of this partial heritage. His rivalry with Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer is nearly legendary, as they have shared a frosty relationship ever since their days as Helljumpers. Introduction Personal History Early Childhood In the summer of 2529, UNSC Army Captain Theodore Morgan discovered that his wife, Arietta Watanabe, had become pregnant from her short-lived affair with Naval Lieutenant Commander Wesley Cole - son of the Admiral Preston J. Cole. His way of delicately handling the situation was to cover the affair up entirely, unwilling to provoke anyone affiliated with Cole, though he would remain distant from his wife afterward. And so it was that in March 2530, Benedict Augustus Morgan came into the world, looking not a bit like the man who claimed paternity. His thick black hair and smooth jaw were a far cry from Theodore's thick jowls and fair hair, but were easily excused by his mother's partial Japanese heritage. Even as an infant, Benedict possessed a quiet demeanor and would often stare at objects or people in an uncanny scrutinizing manner. The demands of the ongoing Human-Covenant War kept Theodore away from home for most of Benedict's first three years of life, leaving Arietta to care for her son by herself. Despite the lack of open hostility from Morgan, Wesley Cole would never visit his child, nor indicate any desire to do so. When Benedict was four years old, Theodore returned home, having been honorably discharged due to developing radiation-exposure related health problems from a Slipspace drive malfunction while he was aboard the UNSC Bastogne. Depressed and miserable over being deprived of the activity which had distracted him from his unhappy marriage, Theodore came to view his adopted son as an amusement; he developed a sort of game with the precociously-intelligent Benedict, teaching him military facts and quizzing him as well as coming up with elaborate scavenger hunts which required tactical creativity to complete. They formed an odd sort of bond that, while devoid of real affection, served to instill a degree of fondness in Theodore toward the boy. Benedict proved himself a clever and resourceful child, and his aptitude inspired Theodore to seek a new path toward greatness: steering Benedict onto the military track, in hopes of attaining honor for the Morgan name, which had been firmly rooted in the Army for four preceding generations. Farragut Academy During Benedict's seventh year, he found himself transplanted from his mother's side to the rigid world of primary military schooling. Farragut Academy, located on the east coast of United North America, was the time-tested and esteemed institution which Theodore had attended in his youth, and seemed the perfect starting point for a prospective military career. Unfortunately, not even Benedict's high intelligence could force adaptation to the sudden change in environment, and he spent most of his first year there wallowing in homesickness and avoiding the other children. His instructors recommended placing him in a less demanding environment, or at least transitioning him for the sake of his own constitution, but Theodore refused to believe Benedict could be anything less than a soldier. And so it was that the next year and the years following would be spent studying and training at Farragut, during which time Benedict would learn how to truly think for himself and learn lessons that would stick for the rest of his life. Runt Despite his intellect, Benedict held no particular position of esteem among his classmates. Rather than oppose the more aggressive and dominating children, he remained aloof and refused to join in the pack-mentality that the cadets tended to follow. His love for learning flourished as he came in contact with more reading material than his mother had ever given him, and he spent most of his free time away from everyone else reading books. This isolation was not enough to shield him from those who saw his high test scores and silent demeanor as insults, however, and he frequently became the punching bag for frustrated bullies. His smaller size was frequently pointed out during such instances, and he became known as Runt to the many other boys and girls who saw him as easy pickings. He became proficient at escaping them over time and developed complex strategies for saving his own skin, which made him popular with the other children who occupied the low end of the pecking order. By the end of his second year at Farragut, Benedict had accumulated several "followers," who admired his impassive attitude toward his tormentors as well as his ability to evade them. While he had not yet acquired the tenacity to stand up to the bullies, he was learning to predict the movements of the more aggressive children and formulate plans based on those predictions, a habit which intrigued the instructors who had previously worried he wasn't cut out for Academy life. Indeed, it seemed the Runt would flaunt his high scores to fan the aggressors' anger, then infuriate them even more by avoiding their attempts at retaliation entirely - hardly the sort of team-building behavior that hinted at leadership potential, but indicative of ability nonetheless. As time passed, Benedict's social standings improved, if only slightly - he grew and filled out physically, but remained shorter than his classmates and continued to surpass them academically. His mind became his weapon of choice and he devoted himself to sharpening it as much as possible. His followers became his best friends, chiefest among them Dahlia Watts; her familial relation to the infamous Robert Watts made her a target, as most of the other children had been told by their parents about the Insurrection and Watts' defection. Despite Benedict's knowledge of her great-uncle's status, he befriended her after observing that they were both equally disliked by their peers. His mathematical ability complemented her fumbling grasp of equations, and her grades went up soon after they became friends. He became a tutor of sorts to the other bullied children, encouraging them to fight back against their tormentors by outmatching them intellectually. Though he never sought leadership, he became the de facto leader of the little group and adjusted to this accordingly, leaving his isolation behind in favor of embracing the newfound camaraderie. When it became apparent that the Runt's clique had higher grades than everyone else, he gained more allies; not all of the children had taken part in bullying him, and there were some who expressed genuine need for his tutelage. Benedict accepted them, and by the end of his fourth year at Farragut he was no longer a pariah, despite continued hostility from a select group of disgruntled classmates. Maverick Category:SPARTAN-IV